A Fire You Can't Put Out
by ThatCoolKidSpardel
Summary: Katniss is with Peeta, and Gale is in Two. They're both happy with their new lives...or at least that's what they keep telling themselves. But they soon find out that old habbits die hard, and some fires, like fires of the heart, simply cannot be put out
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, who else was fucking PISSED with the way she left Gale and Katniss's relationship just hanging like that? TEAM GALE FTW BITCHES!**

**So if you're Team Peeta, do not read this, lol. This is what I think should have happened, 3 years after Mockingjay, but it disregards the epilogue. (So Peeta and Katniss don't have any kids.)**

**Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins is a much more talented author than myself; and she owns The Hunger Games, not me. **

_He touches my cheek and leaves. I want to call him back and tell him that I was wrong. That I'll figure out a way to make peace with this. To remember the circumstances under which he created the bomb. Take into account my own inexcusable crimes. Dig up the truth about who dropped the parachutes. Prove it wasn't the rebels. Forgive him… _

Katniss's POV:

The images of the arena come less. They still come; I can't go a few nights without seeing Rue's face covered in flowers, or without hearing the screams of jabber jays, but it isn't as bad.

The nightmares that haunt me now are worse. Prim burning to death. Finnick being torn limb from limb. President Coin's lifeless body and President Snow's bloody, surgically enhanced lips, still reeking of roses.

Sometimes the dreams are so unbearable that I don't even know how I do it, how I stay alive. Annie committed suicide the moment she heard of Finnick's death. I wasn't surprised and I honestly couldn't blame her.

Annie was like Johanna; with Finnick gone she had no one left to live for. But she wasn't as strong as Johanna; she couldn't live for just herself.

And I suppose neither can I. How many times I've considered suicide-more than considered it, fabricated full blown plans- even after the peril of the war had ceased I'll never be able to count. Sometimes the torture of having to live while so many are dead- among the dead being your sister- becomes too much.

But I have Peeta. And Haymitch.

Not the same as Prim of course; and not the same as-

I stop myself. I won't think the name of the person that's been haunting my nightmares lately.

I haven't mentioned the nightmares to Peeta of course; he's been distant enough without this getting him upset.

So whenever I wake up I simply go to another room and cry, shaking all of the memories away.

In some of the dreams we're hunting again, just like we did for so long. Only then something attacks him. He's lying there, bleeding to death- and I can't, no…I won't- do anything to help him. How could I not? How could I stand there and watch my best friend die?

The only person I could trust for so long….how could I just stand there and be indifferent?

The irony of these nightmares attacks me constantly- because that's exactly what I do.

I go on with my life, indifferent to Gale, indifferent to all we had…

He's in Two now of course, probably much happier than he ever was with me. He probably never thinks of me so why should I think of him? Especially when I have Peeta.

_Peeta._

We've been growing…distant again. And this time is worse, because we can't blame it on him being hijacked. No, the new doctors in the new Capitol have made many new medical advances, and they came up with a full and complete cure for Peeta's remaining symptoms.

Every memory he has is real and clear, not shiny and confusing or fake.

Every memory and feeling he has for me is real.

Which makes it so much worse now that…

Now that what?

I love Peeta, I do. And I know he loves me. He's always loved me, but…

The look in his eyes when I come home from hunting, it isn't the same. It isn't as elated. He doesn't compliment me anymore, not really. I try to invite him to hunt, but he won't come. I try to help him bake and decorate cakes, but he bluntly tells me I'm no good.

Finally, one night when I just couldn't take it anymore, I brought it up.

He simply sighed and said "Oh Katniss…come on. We're older now. You didn't think that star-crossed lover's thing would last forever, did you?"

The look I gave him must've made him feel at least a little bit bad, because he added "Hey now…I still love you, you know I do. So the infatuations died down, it always does. I just…I need some space Katniss. I need to think about myself for a change, to take some time to think about my feelings, what I want in this life."

This didn't make me feel any better; in fact tears were welling in my eyes. "Oh Katniss, you're misunderstanding this. I still love you, I just…" He shook his head and trailed off. We've been sleeping in separate rooms ever since.

He needs space? We're married, you're not supposed to have or want space. You're supposed to want each other, and nothing but each other.

He's all I want. Isn't he?

_Of course he is. _I mutter to myself. I settle down to sleep, knowing I won't get any real rest. I haven't since the day of the reaping so long ago; and it's even worse now that Peeta and I are…whatever we are.

He's right though, he hasn't thought about himself before, ever. I guess I can't blame him for wanting to sort through feelings that he have suppressed in the time of the war, feelings that may not have resurfaced until recently. After all, our relationship was and still is so…I can't even describe it, so how can I blame him for wanting to think about it, to question it?

My stomach churns at the idea. One of the only things I've ever been sure of is that Peeta loves me. If that's changing….who else do I have?

"Gale!" I yell, leaping over fallen branches to his crippled body in the clearing.

"Gale, what happened?" I ask, wiping the tears from his face. Why is he crying?

"Katniss." He says. It's almost a moan, a whimper.

"What Gale, what is it?" I ask desperately.

He just shakes his head and more tears fall down his cheeks.

"It doesn't matter Katniss. At least it doesn't matter to you."

"What doesn't matter?" The words come out of my mouth even though I know the answer.

"It doesn't matter that I love you. Because you don't love me back. You never will. I lost… I lost the game."

"Gale, please-…" I try to reason with him but his entire body is shaking and the wet tears are mixing with blood, and I can't tell where it's coming from.

"Peeta is the victor." He says hollowly, and then suddenly he's holding a nightlock pill.

"Gale no!" I scream, but it's no good. He takes the pill and the life slips out of his eyes-

I wake up screaming. Screaming _his _name.

I hear footsteps, Peeta moving around down the hallway.

But he doesn't come to check on me.

Was it that I was screaming Gale's name? No…Peeta hardly ever comes to check on me anymore.

How can he not? How can he let me suffer like this alone?

Sobs burst through my lips and tears fall from my eyes as I try to contain myself, even though no one can see me.

It's not even a conscious decision, rather an impulse that makes me leap out of bed, get dressed, pack, and explain to an indifferent Peeta that I have to go do something. He doesn't seem to care, he doesn't even ask what I'm going to do. So I just leave.

Gale's POV:

"So what do you think?"

"What?" I say, looking up from the rope in my hands. Finnick Odair had the right idea, the rope definitely…helps.

I look up to see Mercedes looking perturbed.

"Were you listening to a word I said Mr. Hawthorne?"

I don't say anything, so she just shakes her head and turns to leave.

"Mercedes wait!" I call after her. It's like an impulse, it's what she thinks I should do, so I do it, even if I'm not sure I want to. Things are less complicated this way. She turns back around, her bright orange hair shining in the dim light of my apartment.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" I ask, a soft tone in my voice.

"I asked you if you would like to go to dinner with Pesto and Cravina tomorrow." She repeats.

"Sure." I say, even though I have no idea who Pesto and Cravina are. She smiles.

"That's more like it Mr. Hawthorne." She leans in to kiss me and I wrap my arm around her, pressing my lips to hers, automatically, because this is just what we do-

It's the startled gasp that causes my eyes to fling open and look to my door, which I realize Mercedes has left open.

A thousand emotions hit me when I see her face. And yet there's only one that I can process. Elation. Absolute elation.

The look on her face is hurt and shocked, and she simply looks at Mercedes and then back at me and mutters "Sorry for interrupting." Before turning to leave and slamming the door behind her.

I open it and run after her. It's what I've wanted to do for so long, it's what I should've done three years ago when she went back to Twelve.

I run after her, forgetting Mercedes and my apartment and my new life in Two, because there's only thing that matters, only one thing that's ever mattered.

Katniss Everdeen.


	2. Chapter 2

Katniss's POV:

I blink hard to keep the tears from flowing freely from my eyes. Ever since the war I've lost quite a bit of my composure- I'm so vulnerable to my own emotions now.

I have no right to be upset. Of course Gale has a girlfriend; he's good-looking, smart…of course he moved on.

Was I really that delusional and self-centered to think that he still pined after me? I never cease to disgust myself with how ridiculous I can be.

I hear the footsteps coming after; I hear his voice. He's probably coming to tell me to leave him alone, to never come back ever again…

"Katniss, wait!" He calls.

I turn finally, pressing my lips into a hard line. "Yes?" I say evenly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize the door was open-…"

Why was he apologizing? He had nothing to apologize for, and yet I was so glad he was…I was being ridiculous.

"No Gale" I cut him off, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have showed up without checking in with you first."

He shook his head. "It's my fault for not leaving you any means to check in with me with."

He had a point- he hadn't given me his address in two, or his phone number. There really was no way I could've called to warn him.

"Well…I didn't exactly ask for contact information the last time I saw you." I say.

He tries to hide it but I can still see the small wince on his face when he thinks of our last meeting. When I basically told him I could never forgive him for the bomb.

"That was a while ago, wasn't it? The day you shot Coin…"

Memories start flooding back and I close my eyes. "Stop." I say.

"I'm sorry." He said, and I can tell from his voice he felt truly contrite.

His rubbed my arm softly, a concerned look in his eyes. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to bring the bad times up…"

The bad times? A fitting way to refer to it if you ask me.

"It's okay." I reply.

He leads me back to his apartment. The girl is still there, staring at me with her arms crossed in front of her chest. She's wearing an incredibly puffy white and black striped dress, with purple high-heels. Her orange her looks ridiculous.

Now that the people in the districts have the same rights as the people in the capitol, they also have the same fashion sense.

Or at least some of them do; I still find it distasteful.

"Gale, what is _she_ doing here?" She asks in a squeaky voice. She reminds me of a mouse.

"Mercedes, this is-"

"I know who she is! Katniss Everdeen, you're ex-girlfriend."

I've been referred to as a number of things, but never Gale Hawthorne's ex-girlfriend. Frankly, it's somewhat degrading.

Neither Gale nor I say anything so Mercedes continues.

"I would like her to leave."

She crosses her arms and looks at Gale expectantly, waiting for him to send me away? Will he?

Even if he doesn't want me, he'd never take orders from this brat, would he?

He sighs. "Mercedes, you're being unreasonable."

She simply repeats: "Gale, I would like her to leave."

What the…

"What are you, his school teacher?" I say, irritated with the way she thinks she can just control him.

She glares at me. "No, I'm his girlfriend."

"No Mercedes, we've been on a few dates, we're not-…"

"So you're just trying to keep the door open for the mockingjay, are you now?" I swear if I hear this girl's voice for another second I'm going to need to take some serious pain relievers.

Gale's POV:

Why did I ever agree to date this girl in the first place? She'd seemed nice at first, at least tolerable. And she was friends with some important people. She took a liking to me so I played arm candy.

A lot of the girls in Two like me, but I suppose they liked me back in Twelve as well. Not that that ever mattered, the only girl I ever wanted didn't like me, at least not in that way.

All the other girls I've dated since her, none of them mattered. Every kiss, every night spent, none of it mattered. All I want is Katniss.

And now Mercedes, a rotten woman I'd never cared about, was getting in the way of that.

"You know what Mercedes; I would like _you _to leave." I said pointedly.

"What? Wha-…Gale!" She screeched, bursting into tears. She looked ridiculous and I didn't even feel bad. I knew she didn't really care about me; she was just disappointed that she'd lost her alluring pet that she would show off to her friends.

"Leave." I said. With a stamp of her foot and glare at both me and Katniss, she did as she was told.

After she'd slammed the door and gone her way, Katniss burst out laughing.

"Gale…why would you date that…that…" She was beside herself with laughter.

I couldn't help but laugh too, I don't know why, because it wasn't really funny, but all I could do was laugh. Laugh and look at Katniss…She's so beautiful when she's happy.

And the next thing I know I'm kissing her.


End file.
